Slinky Ball Drop

What you need

• a plastic slinky
• masking tape
• a handful of ball pit balls
• a basket

How to do it

1. Stretch the slinky down the front of a low cupboard door and tape the top and bottom so it stays put, with the bottom end just above the basket.
2. Drop a ball into the top yourself and watch it spiral down and plop into the basket.
3. Hand your toddler a ball and let them post it in the top.
4. Count the balls into the basket together as they come out.
5. Tip the basket out and start again for as long as they want to.

Why it matters

The ball disappears and comes back out at the bottom every time, so they can make the same thing happen again and again.

What they're learning

Posting

Lining a ball up with the opening and letting go is careful work for small hands.

Cause and effect

Every ball they post comes out at the bottom, which they can test as often as they like.

Counting along

Counting the balls into the basket lets them hear the numbers in order.

What to look for

Watch their eyes when the ball goes in. Many toddlers look down at the basket before it comes out, which shows they know where it is going.

A tip

Use balls big enough that they don't fit through a toilet roll tube. Masking tape peels off cupboard doors without leaving a mark.

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